Attack on The Underground City
by Cranberryfriend
Summary: Commander Erwin brings Levi and the Cadets on a mission in the Underground City that Levi grew up in. There have been kidnappings, but the men they were told to look for have already been arrested. Levi believes he knows who is truly responsible: Kenny Ackerman. But things don't go according to plan when Armin gets mysteriously abducted, and enlisted into Underground battles.
1. Chapter 1

Aot Underground City Fic

 _"_ _For this mission, we will be traveling into the underground cities. I caution all of you new recruits as we partake in what may be a challenging expedition. For this mission, we will not have our 3D Maneuver Gear, to give us the advantage of blending in. Only these Cadets will participate: Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, Reiner Braun, Armin Arlert, Connie Springer, Sasha Blouse, and Jean Kirschtein. Your skills are vital to this task. Our objective is to investigate the motives of the kidnappings that have been happening underneath the surface. As your Commander, I will be taking part of this expedition as well, along with Squad Leader Hanji Zoe, and Corporal Levi, who once lived in those very underground routes. I wish you all luck. We leave first thing tomorrow morning." – Erwin Smith_

To the Underground City

Eren let out a yawn, the carriage jolting as they sped over some bumpy roads. The sky, Eren saw through the window, was already dark. "Who knew the ride would be so long…we've been driving since this morning."

He heard Jean give a huff of agitation. "If you don't like riding with the rest of us, why don't you just transform into a Titan and walk there?"

"Shut up, Kirschtein! I hardly even complained!"

"It was enough to bug me, Titan scum."

"Why aren't you pulling the carriage with your kind, Horse Face?!" Eren launched a glare, Jean giving him a snort in return. Reiner let out a tired sigh. "Guys, calm down. I already have to sit in between you two, at least behave yourselves. Just go to sleep until we get there."

A loud snore interrupted them, Jean crossing his arms. He pointed at Connie, who was across from him. "How can I try sleeping when his snores are blasting through the carriage?!"

"Jean…be quiet…" Armin moaned sleepily. His head was resting near the window, a book clutched to his chest. Once it got too dark for him to read, he had fallen asleep just as quickly as Connie had.

Jean sighed, "Sorry…Armin…"

"Uh huh…" Armin gave another half-asleep response.

Jean mumbled under his breath as another snore from Connie erupted through the carriage. "At least the girls don't have to put up with this."

They heard a snort come from Corporal Levi, who was sitting in between Armin and Connie. "They have Hanji with them. She snores just as loudly."

Levi then eyed Connie with annoyance as another snore escaped his throat. "Then again, Springer may have her beat."

Eren smirked, "And Mikasa's probably awake watching Sasha drool or something."

A chuckle came from Jean, "Most likely."

Reiner gave another grunt of annoyance, his eyes shut now. "Who knew a carriage ride could make someone so tired. I'm beat."

Eren fidgeted beside him. "I'm tired from it too, but I can't take sitting still this long."

"Neither can I." Jean complained.

Reiner gave a huff, "And I bet they didn't have to make a pit stop so that _someone_ ," he opened his eyes to glare at Connie, "could vomit in the grass."

"At least he's asleep now." Jean grunted, "I never knew someone could get that sick from riding in a carriage. I mean Armin can read in this thing without being bothered, yet Connie stares out the window for ten seconds and nearly dies from it!"

"That's not…nice…Jean…" Armin mumbled.

"Are you even sleeping?!" Jean countered.

There was no response, and Jean gave an irritated huff. "Oh, fine. Don't answer me then, you little faker."

Reiner nudged him with his elbow. "Sometimes he responds in his sleep. Right, Eren?"

Eren had nearly dozed off, his head drooping, but he jumped when Reiner said his name. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. He talks in his sleep…I've had…" he yawned, "I've had conversations with him like this…" Eren's head started drooping again, but he was jerked back awake when the carriage jolted.

Corporal Levi sighed, the area around them darkening, "We've made it to the entrance to the underground."

For a few minutes, darkness surrounded them, but in an instant light returned, lit candles up in the ceilings of the caverns. "Wow." Jean breathed.

"It's nicer than the surface makes it out to be, but it's still not an ideal living place." Levi sighed, "Without sunlight, one can die."

"Way to bring us down, Corporal." Eren groaned.

"I'm just saying, the people who live here may not take kindly to surface dwellers. They'll either be like that out of jealousy, or pure hatred. It's just a warning, Jaeger."

Another snore erupted form Connie, and Levi gave the smaller boy a death glare. "When we get there, I'm throwing him out of the carriage." Levi nudged Armin with his elbow, "Wake up, Arlert, we're here."

Armin spoke groggily, "I'm up…"

Eren gave him a kick in the leg, and Armin jumped, his eyes snapping open. "Ow! Eren!"

"Just waking you up." Eren grinned smugly. "We're in the underground city."

"Hmm?" Armin peeked out the window. "We're on the rogues side of town. It makes sense the criminals would lurk around here. Families live around here too, unfortunately."

"How did you know that?" Levi questioned.

"Oh…uh—my Grandfather used to come visit his friends here…he brought me sometimes…"

"Tch. And you can remember this place from that long ago?"

"Well…yeah."

Reiner chuckled, "What haven't you seen, Armin?"

Armin gripped his book tightly. "A lot of things…"

Their carriage stopped with a jolt in front of one of the homes. Levi spoke, "This is that place Erwin is renting out for us. They should already be here. But before you brats try to get out of this blasted carriage…" Levi kicked open the door, grabbing Connie by the collar and tossing him out of the carriage.

Armin gasped, Jean and Eren bursting into laughter at the sight, Reiner letting out a sigh of defeat. They all heard a groan from Connie, Corporal Levi exiting the carriage. "Come on, brats. Let's go get settled."

The others followed him out, Jean and Eren still trying to fight back laughter as they entered the house, Mikasa instantly scolding Eren for not sleeping on the way there. Reiner yanked Connie up from the ground, the smaller soldier rubbing the back of his head with a wince. "Ow. Reiner, did he just throw me out?"

"You were snoring again, like always."

Connie snapped his fingers. "Damn it. I guess I'm lucky he didn't just stab me on the way here."

There was a squeal, Connie letting out a yelp as Sasha tackled him to the ground. "Connie! They have meat for us! They have meat!" She yanked him off the ground, dragging him into the house. Reiner sighed, following them inside. "I guess I'm the only one with sense…"

"That's how I feel sometimes."

Reiner jumped when he saw Armin beside him. "I thought you entered with Eren and Jean."

"No, I was behind you, actually." Armin brushed past Reiner, joining Mikasa and Eren, Sasha and Connie already starting to pick away at the food. The main room had a sofa, and a small fireplace. There was also a table with food supplies nearby.

Levi let out an irritated sigh as Hanji embraced him. "Hey, shorty! How was the ride without me?"

"Other than bickering and snoring, quite pleasant."

"Oh, good! Erwin and I are going to go out and get those files on the perps. Will you be alright watching the Cadets by yourself?"

"Tch. Of course."

"You won't kill them off while we're gone?" Hanji teased.

"Just go get those blasted plans, shitty glasses."

Hanji grinned happily, skipping out the door, calling to the other carriage. "Erwin! I'm ready! Everything is under control! Let's go!" She slammed the door shut behind her, her gleeful cackle heard from behind the door.

Levi watched as the Cadets were all doing the usual things they did. Armin was trying to read, Connie and Sasha were eating, and Mikasa was babying Eren. Reiner usually hung around Berdholt, but since he wasn't on this mission, the taller soldier went to talk to Armin on the sofa.

"Hey." Levi spoke.

The Cadets froze, their attention on him now. He sighed, "You brats realize where we are, right? This place isn't exactly a playground, so I want you to be careful. Tomorrow, anywhere you go, you take someone with you." He eyed Armin. "And I don't care if you've been here, no Cadets leaves unaccompanied." He reverted his gaze back to all of them. "We'll discuss the plans in the morning, when Erwin says so. But right now, your all going to eat something, then go to bed. I'm not going to get yelled at from you being sluggish, because you won't be. Understand?"

Everyone nodded, Sasha mumbling a yes with food already in her mouth. Corporal Levi headed towards the bedrooms, "Get to bed soon. But don't think that just because I'm gone, that I'll be asleep."

He left then, Eren responding with a shudder. "Well, I'm not even hungry. I just want to sleep."

Reiner nodded in agreement. "That what I want to do, too."

Sasha grinned, "More food for us!"

"But you have to eat something, Eren." Mikasa huffed. She shoved a piece of bread into Eren's hand. "There. Eat that, and I'll let you off the hook."

Eren rolled his eyes, but he stuffed the bread into his mouth, by some miracle swallowing it without choking. "Good night, Mikasa. Reiner, you going to bed?"

"Heck yeah. If I don't sleep now, I'll die. Let's go. Armin, you ready too?" Reiner nudged him, but he had started reading his book again. "Did you want something, Reiner?"

"Never mind." Reiner sighed. "I'll catch you guys later. Let's go grab a room or something, Eren, while these knuckle heads risk death."

Reiner and Eren wandered off into the hall, Mikasa tapping Sasha on the shoulder. "After you eat, Sasha, let's go find us a room."

Sasha grunted something with her mouth full, Mikasa taking it as a yes. Connie and Jean were whispering to each other, both of them wandering off into the back of the house. "They'd better not go get lost."

"In a house?" Sasha chuckled, "If it's Connie and Jean, they'll definitely get lost." Sasha gulped down the rest of her meat. "Okay! I'm ready Mikasa, let's go off to beddy bye!" She skipped towards the hallway, Mikasa following. She turned in Armin's direction. "Don't forget to actually sleep, Armin."

"What?" He looked up from his book. "Yeah. I will."

Mikasa sighed, chasing after Sasha's skipping form.

Armin started reading again. The next chapter was about Rain forests, the images of animals unheard of coming to his mind, the heights of the trees. A faint clanging came from another room in the house. He ignored it, moving onto the descriptions of the plants. There was more clanging. He sighed, flipping through the next few pages. Whatever Jean and Connie were doing, they weren't doing it quietly.

Armin figured it might be best to check on them, but decided against it. At this moment he'd rather be reading without interruption. He went into the hallway, surprised by how many bedroom doors there were. He opened one room, Eren completely passed out on one bed, Reiner fast asleep in another.

Guess he'd have to go read in one of the other rooms.

In fact, he knew then he'd probably end up rooming with Connie and Jean. He sighed, realizing then he'd have to deal with Connie's snores later on. "Thanks a lot Eren…" He muttered.

Armin opened the door to the next room, thankful that it was empty. He shut the door behind him, plopping down onto one of the beds and opening his book. After the Rain Forest came underwater volcanoes.

The Ocean had those?

He finished that chapter quickly, captivated by the other things that lay within the Ocean's depths. A few chapters later, he heard some laughing from the hallway, not able to tell how long he had really been reading at that point. The door to the room he was in burst open, Connie and Jean laughing hysterically. Connie stumbled, laughing his head off. "J—Jean, that was—you totally beat me man! You beat me!" He laughed again, a flushed look on his face. In fact, Jean had the same expression.

Armin's eyes widened.

 _Oh no._

"Um…guys?" Armin spoke, "What have you two been doing for the past hour?"

Jean sat down beside Armin, placing his arm around the blonde's shoulders. He slurred a response, "We found a—a liquor cabinet down the…" he hiccupped, "Down the hall. C—Connie here dared me, so," He hiccupped again, "So I dared him." He laughed, Armin cringing at the smell of his alcohol breath. "Jean, you mean to tell me the two of you got yourselves drunk?"

Connie let out a laugh, plopping himself down on the bed as well. "Pfft. Nah, we're not drunk. We—we're just totally happy!" He leapt off the bed, stumbling around the room in a fit of giggles. Armin sighed, yelping when Jean pulled him into an awkward hug. "Whatcha' Readin' there Armin?"

"J—just stuff…hey!"

Jean snatched the book from Armin's hands, holding it up to where he couldn't reach it. "Pfft. How can ya read this without any," he slurred, "Pictures…" He tossed it onto the floor, Armin trying to wriggle out of his grip. "Jean, that's rude. Now let go of me."

Jean gave a drunken smirk, his grip remaining. "And what if I don't want to."

 _"_ _Jean, quit it. You're just drunk."_

Armin jumped when he heard a thud, Connie having collapsed onto the floor. He rose, his giggles turning into groans. "Man, guys…I don't feel well…" He threw open one of the windows in the room, sticking his head out and vomiting out of it.

Armin gave a repulsed sigh, still trying to free himself. "Jean, let go. Don't make it to where I have to get Corporal Lev—"

"Hey! I could sing us a song!" Jean interrupted.

Connie broke out into more laughter, "Dude, go for it!" Then he let out a grunt, hacking out the window once again as Jean belted into song, his voice loud and off key, _"Ohhhhhh, Eren Jaeger is an asssss, the Corporal, he is a short ass, aaaannndddd one dayyyy we're all going to dieeeeee!"_

"Jean, shut up!"

He heard Connie vomiting in the background, Jean belting, _"Aaaaanndd Mikasa has a good lookingggg aaaa...ow!"_ Armin managed to elbow Jean in the stomach, breaking free from the taller boys grip. He headed for the door, Jean somehow managing to get in front of him. "Heyyy, Armin." He stood in the doorway, blocking the path. "Where ya' off to? Can I come?"

"No, Jean, stay in here." He tried to move around him, Jean blocking him. Armin sighed in annoyance. "Look, I'm going to get you some help. Now mo—" Jean's hand clapped over his mouth, Armin's yelp muffled as Jean slammed him against the wall. _"You want to tell Corporal Levi, don't you?"_ He slurred, "That's…not…very nice…" He hiccupped. _"It's because I'm not as…cool as Jaeger…is it?"_

Connie let out a slurred response, and started moaning as half his body dangled out the window. Armin's voice was slightly muffled, _"Jean, you need to—mo—"_ Jean's hand pressed harder over his mouth, the smell of alcohol on his breath shooting right into Armin's face. Jean slurred, _"You can't…tell the…Corporal…Armin._ We're _having too much fun. Aren't we, Connie?"_

Connie's only response was further vomiting.

Armin tried to squirm out of Jean's grip, but he pressed himself against him. _"You could have some fun, too…Armin…"_ Jean breathed into his face.

Connie fell from the window, collapsing onto the floor in the room. Jean looked back momentarily at his fallen comrade. "Connie…you idiot…stop falling over…"

Armin used this distraction to knee Jean in the stomach, the taller boy wincing, Armin shoving him off and bolting into the hallway. The sound of more singing came, and he burst into another room, shutting the door behind him. It didn't sound like Jean was following, but he had to tell somebody before Connie coughed up his lungs. The room he was in was dark, and he realized he was in Eren and Reiner's room.

Could he tell Eren?

Armin thought about it, but Eren would most likely just get into a fight with Jean rather than help him. He could go find where Mikasa was, but that would mean risking running into Jean on the way there, and with Jean's physical advantage, that probably wasn't the greatest idea.

He eyed Reiner, figuring that would be his best option. He crept towards where Reiner was sleeping, shaking his arm. "Reiner? Hey, Reiner."

Reiner let out a grunt, and Armin shook his arm again. "Reiner, get up."

"Huh?" He sat up slightly, responding groggily, "Is that you, Armin?"

"Yeah."

"Wh—what's up? Why'd you wake me?"

"Well uh—it's Connie and Jean…" Armin whispered.

"Huh?" Reiner half-laughed. "If you're trying to swap rooms with me, forget it. I dealt with Connie's snores last time."

"No, no. It's not that at all. The two idiots got themselves drunk."

Reiner raised an eyebrow. "They what? How'd they manage that?"

Armin sighed, "Jean said something about a liquor cabinet and them daring each other to drink."

Reiner gave an irritated sigh. "It figures they'd do something stupid like that. They did it on our first night here, no less. Hey, speaking of that you look a bit freaked. Did they do anything crazy?"

"Uh…" Armin stuttered, thankful the dark hid how red his face was. "C—Connie was vomiting out the window and uh—Jean was—J—Jean was being Jean, but a ten times more a—annoying Jean."

Reiner's eyes widened slightly, "Vomiting out the window? Poor stupid Connie."

"Y—yeah…"

"And Jean was just annoying?"

Armin stuttered, "S—something like that…he started singing…"

Reiner mumbled something, then responded, "Okay. I'll come check on them." Reiner tossed off his blankets, surprised when he heard a small yelp come from Armin. "Hmm? What is it?"

Armin had his eyes covered. "R—Reiner, I think you f—forgot something…"

Reiner was confused for a second, and then a wave of embarrassment surpassed him. "Oh. That." He chuckled, "I forgot I don't sleep in pants. Sorry about that."

 _"_ _Oh yeah, sure. You're sorry. Who in their right mind…_ " Armin sighed, shielding his vision as he went towards the door. " _I'll be out in the hall…"_

Armin exited the room. He was thankful Jean wasn't lurking nearby. He was probably in the room trying to see if Connie would join him in song or something like that.

"What are you doing up, brat?"

Armin jumped at the sound of the voice, Corporal Levi directly across from him, a cup of tea in his hands.

"I uh—well…" Armin nearly felt his heart stop. "I was just—st—standing here."

"Uh huh." Corporal Levi took a sip from his tea. "And you just decided not to take me seriously when I said to go to sleep, did you?"

"I uh...don't exactly…well…you see…I already slept in the carriage so—I'm wide awake now."

"Uh huh." Levi took another sip of his tea. "I see."

"What I mean is…I don't sleep much?" Armin felt his heart racing.

Damn it, he was going to die.

The Corporal was going to kill him.

Corporal Levi gave Armin a look of disbelief. "Tch. Don't give me that. Are you trying to stay up and read or something?"

He didn't want to give up Connie and Jean. He stuttered, "I—well…"

Armin jumped when the door opened, Reiner letting out a yawn, a smug grin on his face. "Hey, I found my pants. Let's…" His eyes widened when he caught glimpse of Corporal Levi. _"Shit—_ uh—H—Hello, Corporal…"

Levi took another sip of his tea, then nodded. "I think I understand now, Arlert." He smirked, "I too prefer those who are a lot taller than I am. But out of everyone here, I didn't expect it from you."

Armin let out a small squeak, Reiner stuttering, _"Wait, wait. Corporal, it's not what you think…"_

"I see." Corporal Levi leaned against the wall. "Then humor me. Why are you two up? I for one don't need much sleep, so we can stand here all night if you want."

Armin let out a small whimper, his eyes on the floor. _"W—we…well…um…"_

"Armin saw uh—well, there's this…um…"

Levi nodded, "Fascinating story. It really is. Well, the next time you two decide to _have some fun_..."

Reiner stuttered, "Wait, wait, wait! Corporal! It's—it's Jean and Connie, actually."

Levi gave another nod. "Ah, so all four of you switch off, huh?"

Armin let out another squeak, Reiner certain he'd break at any minute if Levi kept on like this. "No." Reiner spoke, "Jean and Connie—Armin, I can tell him?"

Armin gave a shaky nod, Reiner continuing, "Jean and Connie were messing around in the back room. They're drunk now, and Armin came to get me to help him out. That's all."

"I see. I didn't think Arlert to be your type, anyway, Braun."

Reiner's face went red. "Y—yeah…"

Levi gave a smirk. "Now, that wasn't so hard, now was it? Was it, Arlert?"

Armin shook his head, "N—no, Corporal," a flustered expression spread across his face.

Corporal Levi headed for the other room, Reiner and Armin following. They opened the door, Connie passed out on the floor, but with no sign of Jean. Armin's eyes widened, "Jean?! Jean, where'd you go?"

Reiner scurried over to Connie, poking his face. "He seems to be alive, Corporal."

Levi sighed, "I guess I shouldn't tell Commander Erwin. He'd have them sent back, and I want them in this mission."

Reiner eyed the Corporal in surprise. "Y—you're not going to tell the Commander?"

Levi snorted. "Tch. Springer's sleeping, just like I asked you brats to do. Right?"

Armin let out a sigh of relief, his arms still shaking from the worry that had taken over. "Thank you."

"Tch. Don't thank me. All four of you are in charge of going out to get supplies. Got it?"

Both nodded, and Levi sighed, "All right, so where did Kirschtein…"

There was a yelp from Armin, Levi spinning around to see Jean hugging Armin tightly. "Hey! I knew you'd come back!"

Armin squirmed, pushing Jean away from him. "Jean, you need to calm down."

Jean caught a glimpse of Levi, "Hey…" his voice turned into song, "Corporalllll aaassssss…." he was cut off by Levi kicking him in the abdomen, Jean collapsing onto the floor. Levi grunted, "There, he's asleep. Goodnight you little shits." He hopped over Jean's unconscious form, exiting into the hallway. Reiner scooped up Connie, "Hey, Armin, you'll be okay in here with these two?"

Armin shrugged, "I should be, if Jean stays out like that."

"Heh." Reiner snorted, "it is a lot more peaceful when he's like that. Anyway, there's another bed in the room I'm in. I could take Connie, unless you want to come in there with us."

"No…I'll just stay in here. You take Connie."

"If you say so. Well, goodnight." Reiner walked off, a snoring Connie in his arms. Armin gave a glare to the unconscious Jean, grabbing a blanket from one of the beds. "Yeah, no way I'm staying in here with you. Sorry Jean." He stormed into the hallway, shutting the bedroom door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Hanji let out a gleeful chuckle as the carriage pulled up in front of their rental home. She leapt out of the carriage, Erwin following behind her more sluggishly. "I don't get how you have all this energy, Hanji. Did you drink some coffee or something?"

"Pfft. Me? Drink Coffee?" She gave a wicked smirk. "Maybe."

Erwin sighed in defeat as she kicked the door open, letting out a happy shout as she entered the house. Erwin shut the door, pulling the files out of his pocket. "Hanji, you need to keep it down. The Cadets are trying to sleep. And so is all of the underground."

"Relax, commander. I'm just excited."

"Excited?" Erwin gave a small smirk as he laid the files out on the table. "You're normally not this excited unless the mission involves Titans. What's got you riled up this time?"

"Well…" Hanji chuckled, "The whole thing, actually. I mean, underground abductions? _Who doesn't love those?"_

"Probably the people abducted, Hanji."

"Hey, hey. I'm not happy about there being little victims."Hanji pulled some bread out of a cupboard. "What I mean is, I want to know who, what, when, where, and why. Is that so bad?"

"No." Erwin sighed, sitting down at the table. "But you could at least appear more sympathetic. But then again, most of that is saved for the Titans we capture, am I correct?"

"Don't make me sound like a crazy lady again, Commander." Hanji scoffed. "I'm just a person of research. I can't help but be intrigued by stuff like this, you know that."

"Yes, yes, I know it all too well, unfortunately."

"Unfortunatley?" Hanji let loose a cackle. "Without me, we'd never have even reached the point of capturing Titans! Heck, without me, life would be so dull!" Hanji bit into her piece of bread. "Man, am I hungry! Speaking of hunger, do you think Titans even experience it? They don't have to eat us, but still…"

"Bring some bread over here, will you?" Erwin chuckled.

Hanji tossed him a roll, the Commander biting into it hungrily. "Come and sit, Hanji, we have to discuss the plans."

"So you successfully retrieved the plans then?" A new voice joined. Corporal Levi approached the table, an irritated look on his face. "Don't tell me you forgot I was here, Commander."

"Sorry Levi, I thought you were sleeping."

"Tch. Sleep is for hotheads, like Jaeger and Springer."

"So," Erwin started, "How were all the Cadets?"

"How were they?"

Levi thought about Springer and Kirschtein getting drunk, but he cursed mentally when he remembered his promise not to tell. Those stupid brats were lucky he had been drinking Tea. "Tch. I wanted to throw them out the window. But they're at least sleeping like I told them to, the little shits."

There was a squeal of delight from Hanji, Levi rolling his eyes. "What is it now, lunatic?"

Hanji had exited the kitchen section, her eyes now glued to the couch. "Aww, Arlert fell asleep on the sofa!" Hanji gave another squeal, "He's even cuter when he's sleeping!"

"Don't call him cute." Levi snorted, "I've seen dead puppies cuter than that kid, and you staring at him like that is just plain creepy."

"I'll say it all I want, shorty. You're just jealous." Hanji teased.

"Of Arlert? Yeah right." Levi stalked in her direction, giving a sigh of annoyance at the sight of Armin passed out on the couch. "There it is. A Brat. Let's put him outside."

Commander Erwin sighed, "It took over two hours to get ahold of these files."

"I have a better idea, Corporal. Let's throw _you_ outside." Hanji smirked.

"Tch. I'd rather throw you outside, and see if the rats think you're one of their own. And what if he hears what we're talking about?"

Hanji rolled her eyes, "And so what if he does? If you think Arlert's a spy, then I'm the next Queen of the Walls."

"More like Queen of the Shitty brats."

Erwin sighed again, _"Two hours of searching through files, Hanji."_

Hanji grinned smugly, oblivious to the Commander's pleas. "It takes a brat to know a brat, _Corporal Brat._ "

"Tch. What are you, five? I've heard better comebacks from dead Titans!" Levi scoffed.

"Are you two done making sarcastic comments, or can we go over these files?" Erwin grunted. "I'm tired, and the Military Police wouldn't quit pestering me about these files. We're going over them. Now."

"What about Arlert?" Levi protested.

"What about him?" Erwin grunted. "It's not my fault you couldn't handle him."

Hanji burst into laughter, Levi storming towards the table and sitting down with a grunt. "Let's just get this over with so I can get my two hours of actual sleep. Hanji, quit laughing like a psychopath and get over here!"

Hanji wiped a few tears from her eyes, and then took a seat next to Levi. "So, what all do we have here, Commander?"

Commander Erwin laid the files out, sliding a few pictures towards Hanji and Levi. "These were some of the criminals said to be involved in the kidnappings. See anything odd?"

Hanji glanced over the photos, a smirk crossing her lips. "I notice that whoever filed these was an idiot. Those goons were arrested months ago."

"If that's the case then why did we have to come?" Levi snorted.

"Our source lied to us?" Hanji quipped.

Commander Erwin flipped through some of the pages. "It's not that he lied—but he did alter the information he gave to us when requesting our help. We had to come because now a new criminal has taken over the kidnappings, but the same kidnappings, for the same reason—which is still unknown to us."

"Tch." Levi grunted, "You mean another partner of the criminals that those pathetic MP's couldn't catch? So we just came to get some remaining filth?"

"No." Erwin said, "Because with this new abductor, murder has been added to the files."

Hanji's face lit up. "We get to solve a murder?!"

Erwin and Levi glared in her direction, Hanji adjusting her goggles. She cleared her throat. "Yes…right…sorry. Boo. Murder." She grinned, "How was that? Too forced?"

"Murder huh?" Levi grunted, "If it's murder it could be anyone down here. People are killed nearly everyday in fights and all the like."

"Have anyone in mind?" Erwin spoke.

"I have one man in mind, but speaking his name down here may not be the best idea, if you know who I'm referring to."

 _He was referring to Kenny._

Erwin nodded, Hanji letting out a groan. "Who are you guys talking about? I want to know!"

"Not yet, Hanji. But if he's the man we're looking for, you'll know soon enough." Erwin shut the files. "We have our information. What would you like to do with it, Corporal?"

"Well," Levi shrugged, "The Cadets could look around the city and see what they find while Hanji and I lurk around the more—well—more sleazy side of town I'd call it."

Erwin nodded. "You can set up teams in the morning. You and Hanji will be in charge of the Cadets while I tend to business with the MPs that came as well."

Hanji and Levi both let out unearthly groans at the mention of MPs, and Erwin glared at them, his eyebrows seeming to frown. "Stop that, you'll wake Arlert."

"Good." Levi huffed, "He probably heard us anyway and is dreaming up his own theories on it." Levi shuddered, "He's just like you, Hanji."

Hanji smiled, "Aw, you really think so?"

"Not entirely. He's less annoying than you."

Hanji crossed her arms. "Oh come on." She ruffled his hair. "You know you love me. Hey, Erwin, I'm off to beddy bye. Have fun with Corporal midget." She leapt out of her chair, and skipped down the hall. Erwin sighed, rising from his chair and tucking the files under his arm. "I'll be up for a bit if you still need to talk, Corporal. Going to bed?"

Levi shrugged. "I may just sit in here, fall asleep in the chair. Who knows. Tch. I don't sleep much anyway."

"Very well." Erwin nodded at the couch. "Did you want me to move Arlert?"

"Nah." Levi sighed, "You were right the first time. I should have watched them more carefully."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Did they do something?"

Levi smirked, "They were just their annoying bratty selves."

"If you say so."

Erwin didn't sound convinced, but Levi could tell that the man was so tired he'd most likely belive anything just to get to bed. Erwin waved, heading for the hallway. "Goodnight, Levi." Then he was gone.

Levi breathed heavily out of boredom, and then yawned. It had been awhile since he'd yawned. Maybe he really was tired. "Tch." He spoke to himself, "Or you're just getting old, you cranky midget."

He rested his head on the tops of the chair and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Jean woke up with a pained moan, his head throbbing as he sat up, realizing that he had been sleeping on the hard wooden floor. He winced from a sore back. "Why am I…on the floor?"

He stumbled as he rose, the memories flooding back to him. "Man…I was drunk…that's right. Connie and I had—Connie?" He gazed at his surroundings, realizing that he was the only one in the room—and that the window was wide open. It was hard to tell what time of the day it was in the underground, but he assumed from the lit lanterns up above the city that it was morning.

But what had happened to Connie?

Jean cautiously crept to peek over the window, sighing in relief to find that Connie wasn't passed out on the other side—unless he ran off?

Jean pushed the thought aside, his head aching far too much for him to worry. He shuffled out of the room as he gripped his aching skull. He heard voices from the kitchen, and he entered, surprised to see that Sasha and Mikasa were already at the table eating breakfast. Corporal Levi was asleep in the chair—and then he spotted Armin asleep on the couch, his lower half covered with a blanket. Jean raised an eyebrow. "Did—did I miss something?"

"Nothing at all." Mikasa reassured him. "You're just up really early, like Sasha and I."

Sasha nodded, her face stuffed with bread.

"Then why are Armin and the Corporal in here?"

Mikasa began cutting the bread Sasha had started attacking into halves. "I wouldn't know, Jean. But from the looks of it, they could have just wound up here at different times—maybe Armin was reading."

"He doesn't have a book." Sasha spoke through bread.

Mikasa sighed, "Then this might concern me…"

Jean rubbed his temples to soothe his head pains, and decided it best to change the subject before Mama Mikasa broke loose. "So, anyway, do you two know where Connie is?"

They shrugged, Sasha answering, "Maybe he switched rooms while you were asleep—or fell under the bed. Speaking of beds, were your beds as squeaky as ours?"

"I woke up on the floor…"

"Because you were being a drunken idiot…" Corporal Levi moaned, sitting up in his chair. "Why didn't you brats wake me or something?"

Sasha smirked. "Yeah right. No way we were going to try that."

"Tch. You were smart not too."

"Jean was drunk?" Mikasa huffed. "I guess that explains why Armin wound up in here—that also explains why Jean looks like death."

"I do not." Jean grumbled, "But I sure do feel like it."

"Speaking of dead things," Mikasa started, "Why were you sleeping in the kitchen, Corporal?"

Levi smirked at her comment. "I have my won business—but if you must know, Commander Erwin wanted to go over some files. By the time that was done I must have keeled over in this stupid chair."

Mikasa nodded thanks, and Corporal Levi rose from his chair to look out the window. "It's barely dawn. Why are you brats even up?"

Sasha shrugged, eating more bread. "It' 'ot 'ike 'e can 'ell the 'ime 'own 'ere' 'ike…" She swallowed, "Like you can."

Levi sighed, "I assume you're saying you can't tell time."

Sasha nodded as she shoved more bread into her mouth.

"Tch. Why didn't you just ask Arlert?"

Sasha swallowed in surprise. "Would he know?"

"Of course he'd know." Levi snapped. "If there's ever something that brat doesn't know we'll die that day. Now where did Hanji put my tea bags?" He started to open drawers irritably, "I can't start the day without tea…"

Jean shuffled towards the couch, plopping down on the extra space that Armin wasn't overtaking. He felt Armin move beside him, and the blonde sat up almost immediately. "Well look who it is…" Armin grunted, "Jean the idiot…"

"Well good morning to you too, _sunshine."_ Jean snorted. "What's eating you?"

"You." Armin sighed. "You got yourself drunk and I had to flee out into—into here."

"Oh come on. I couldn't have been bad enough to scare you off."

Levi slammed a cabinet shut. "Tch. Yes you could have—even Braun looked alarmed at the state you were in. And to make it worse, you even started singing—Arlert do you know where Hanji put my tea bags?"

"Yeah…" Armin yawned. "There in the third cabinet on the right."

Levi opened it, grabbing of the tea bags with a smirk. "Like I said, brats, we'd all die."

Sasha chuckled in between bites of bread, Eren entering the room with a snort. "I thought I heard a horse's voice."

Jean glared. "Shut up Titan boy. Go choke on your breakfast."

"Go choke on your hay."

He sat down next to Sasha, Mikasa already shoving bread in his direction. Eren sighed, "Does anyone know what time it is?"

"Too early." Levi snorted. "I didn't sign up to be bombarded by brats. I regret not telling you how to tell time."

"It's by the brightness of the lanterns." Armin yawned, "But obviously if they're out it's night."

Levi nodded approval. "Maybe I can promote you Arlert, then retire early and just drink tea like some withered old man."

Jean crossed his arms. "Wait, why would Armin get promoted and not somebody else?"

"Ask me that again when you're not in the middle of a hangover, Kirchstein." Levi dropped the tea bag into the water he had just heated. "I really regret falling asleep in that chair. Maybe I can have you brats start cleaning—somebody go wake up Braun and Springer.

"Connie was drunk too." Jean chuckled, "He may not be much help."

Reiner entered the room then, a stumbling Connie following behind. "We're up already Corporal." Reiner said, "It only took us awhile because Connie tried to put his pants on over his head."

Jean and Eren erupted into snickers.

"Hey! I was just tired!" Connie said defensively. "You try getting dressed at the crack of dawn!"

Reiner rolled his eyes, "I had to help you...if I hadn't been in there you'd be waddling out with your arms in your pant legs."

Corporal Levi sipped his tea. "It's hardly dawn, Springer. But that's a ridiculous blunder all the same."

Jean smirked. "Aw, baby Connie couldn't even get dressed by himself."

"At least I don't neigh in my sleep!" Connie snapped.

Jean's eyes widened with fury. "You take that back, runt!"

"I'll take it back after you gallop off into the sunset with your horse brothers!"

Eren spluttered into his cup of water, laughing into his hand. Even Reiner was hiding chuckles. Jean clenched his fists. "I don't get why you all keep making horse jokes about me!"

Connie smirked, "Maybe if we didn't have to look at your horse face we wouldn't have to joke about it."

Jean simmered silently.

Armin rose from the couch, throwing his blanket over Jean's head. "There Connie. Now nobody has to look at him."

Levi spluttered into his tea, coughing as he nearly chocked on the contents. He banged a fist against his chest, Eren smirking in his direction. "Did somebody think that was funny?"

"Shut—" Levi coughed, "Shut up Jaeger before I make you clean the roof."

Mikasa shook her head. "He'd probably fall off while trying to climb onto it."

"I would not!" Eren protested, "And you did laugh, Corporal."

"Tch. You're mistaken, brat." Levi huffed. "Laughter is not in my vocabulary—but I will admit I do enjoy the better view."

Sasha giggled, Jean yanking the blanket off his face as Reiner and Connie started snickering. "It's not funny!" He leapt from the couch. "None of you make any sense. Armin, come on, I didn't make you that mad, did I?"

"I'm not mad, Jean." Armin sighed, "But am I slightly irritated? Yes."

Jean tossed the blanket onto the couch. "We only meant it as harmless fun, didn't we Connie?"

Connie nodded with a groan. "Yeah, but I still feel dead inside."

"You two were complete disasters." Levi snorted. "And you're all going to have to suffer because of that."

The Cadets groaned in unison.

Jean's face crossed with worry. "Um—does—does the Commander know what happened?"

"No." Levi sipped his tea. "At least, he doesn't for now. But if you decide to cross me, don't forget I could reveal what you two idiots did at any given time."

Connie and Jean both sighed with relief, and Corporal Levi continued. "Now eat something before I finish my tea and make you brats scrub the floor with your faces."

They all gathered around Mikasa as she handed out pieces of bread to them all. "Is there anything else in the supplies?" She asked.

Levi shrugged. "I doubt it. Our plan was to buy food while we were here, rather than have to drag any down here."

Jean tore into a piece of bread. "I 'ould 'o…" He swallowed. "I could go get some groceries! My mom used to have me do it all the time, so I know how to haggle."

"Same." Eren snorted. "Not about the haggling—but about the food buying."

"Alright." Levi snorted. "You two go then—Arlert, go with them. They'll get lost if they're by themselves."

Armin nodded. "I agree…I'll keep them in check."

"Wait, so is Armin our babysitter?!" Jean scoffed, then teased, "If—if anybody here is more like a baby, it's Armin."

Armin chuckled irritably, _"Corporal Levi, can I kill him?"_

"No—but if you want to cut off one of his limbs I'd be okay with it. There are some knives in that drawer over there. But afterward clean up the blood. I don't want it to be a mess in here when Commander Erwin comes back."

Eren held back a laugh, Armin unsure of how to respond.

Jean dropped his bread in horror. "Did you just give Armin permission to—to stab me?"

"Tch. _Don't be a baby._ " Levi snorted. "Just get out and go buy the food."

"Did somebody say they were going to buy food?!" Hanji's voice called as she charged into the room. "Can I go?!"

Armin and Jean sighed in relief at the change of subject.

"No, you can't." Levi snapped at her. "We're supposed to go search the alleys for clues while they clean up the house—no—not all of them. Springer and Blouse will clean. Mikasa and Braun can search the other side of town."

Hanji frowned. "Okay, fine. I'll go search spooky corners with you. But do you know if Commander Erwin went to see those MP's yet?"

Levi eyed the window. "The Wagon's gone, so I'm assuming he left pretty early. I can't imagine why he'd want to. The last thing I'd want to see first thing in the morning is an MP."

Hanji snickered as she snatched a piece of bread from Sasha. "He probably wants to get it over with as soon as possible—that's what I'm assuming."

Sasha pouted shortly from her lack of bread, and then followed Connie to where Levi had put the cleaning supplies. Levi sipped the rest of tea. "Let me grab my cloak and we can be on our way—but for the brats that are going into town, listen to me."

Jean, Mikasa, Reiner, Eren, and Armin looked in his direction, and then he went on. "Nobody wander off. Stay with who you're designated partners are and keep an eye on each other. There's no telling who will try to take advantage of you out there. Understand, brats?"

Everyone nodded, Eren stifling a yawn. Levi tossed his empty teacup into the sink. "Good. Hanji, hand Arlert the money for food while I go get my hoodie."

"What?" Hanji dug into her bag. "I can't keep it?"

Levi walked off with a "Tch" as Hanji brought out the envelope that Commander Erwin had given to her. She handed it to Armin and winked teasingly. "Don't lose it."

Armin chuckled, "I won't—I just hope I don't lose Jean and Eren in the crowd."

Jean snorted, "Lose us? I have perfect sense of direction, Armin, don't you worry about it."

"Do you use your horse nose to sniff your way around?" Eren mocked.

 _"_ _Shut up Jaeger!"_

Armin sighed irritably.

Hanji smirked, "We could use some of the harnesses as leashes! Did we bring any?"

"H—Hanji!" Armin squeaked as Jean and Eren backed away from her. Hanji let loose a wild cackle. "I—I'm only joking kiddies! But I do suggest you all hold hands."

 _"_ _No."_ Eren and Jean refused in unison.

Eren snorted, "How come it's only us you're tormenting? What about Mikasa and Reiner?"

"They already left." Levi's voice joined. He came out with his hoodie on, a scowl on his face. "I saw them through one of the windows. Can't blame them with loony fartface over here talking about leashes."

There was a thud from the other room, Levi shouting, _"Springer if you're climbing on counter tops in there because you're too short to reach them go get a blasted stool or stand on Blause's shoulders!"_

There was a squeak from Sasha, Connie screaming curses as another thud echoed soon after. Levi sighed, speaking sarcastically, "I like how he's too stubborn to get a stool…"

Hanji smirked, "I like how he went straight for Sasha—quite the _Springer_ in her step!"

Armin held in a laugh, Hanji slapping her knee in delight. "Shorty, I'm so funny even Armin's laughing!"

"Stop making puns and go take a blasted stool to Springer before we leave, you crazed lunatic. Arlert and friends, go buy us food before I eat the dirt off the floor."

Hanji trotted off to get a stool, Armin and the others exiting the house. Jean groaned, "Which was do we even go? Isn't is too early to buy food?"

"No, they open really early, and I know the way." Armin answered, heading down the path. "But can you two please not bicker all the way there? I already have a headache thinking about it…"

Eren and Jean followed, Eren snorting in defense, "We don't bicker. If we do, it's all on Horse face."

 _"_ _Stop calling me horse face!"_ Jean flicked Eren on the back of the head, Eren yelling, "Armin, tell him to stop! Tell him he' a jerk!"

"Tell Eren _he's_ a jerk!"

Armin sighed heavily as they passed some shops. "How about both of you stop being jerks and shut up so we can get the groceries and leave. People are staring…"

Eren and Jean were quiet then, Armin letting out another sigh. "I'm going to go get some things from here." He pointed at one of the merchant's shops. "Stay together."

"But we all have to stay together!" Eren snapped. "Armin, you can't go without us."

"I can and I will—anything to get away from you two." He made way to leave when they each grabbed one of his arms. Armin snorted, "Oh sure…now you two work together…"

"You can't wander off." Jean snapped. "Not even for a second."

"Yeah," Eren agreed. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened—neither will Mikasa. We'll stop bickering, won't we Jean?"

Jean nodded. "We'll stop. We promise. Just please don't try to ditch us."

"Okay…" Armin agreed. "Sorry…you two were just really getting on my nerves—you still are."

"I guess I triggered that mood of your s from being an idiot last night…" Jean chuckled. Armin smiled lightly, "Yeah, you did. Now can we go buy the food now? I'm still not sure if the Corporal was serious or joking about eating the dirt."

Eren and Jean nodded, following Armin into the merchant's shop. A few women were looking at the vegetables, Armin heading straight for the breads and potatoes.

Jean laughed, picking up a nearby potato. "You think Sasha could eat all these if she really wanted to?"

Eren sniggered, "Probably. Maybe we should buy all of them and see how many she can scarf down. Armin, do we have a budget?"

"Yes—and stop touching all the produce in here." Armin snapped, heading off in another direction. Eren snorted in Jean's direction. "You put him a bad mood…"

"All he did was scold you for touching food." Jean picked up another potato and rolled it in his hands. "Don't be a baby, Jaeger."

"I'm not being a baby—and he almost wandered off because of you."

"Because of—" Jean stopped when he saw Armin glance in their direction, and he sighed, "We promised not to fight, okay. We probably shouldn't even stand by each other."

"Works for me." Eren snorted. He winced when something hit him on the head. "What's the big idea horse face? I thought we agreed to stop!"

"What are you talking— _ow!"_ Jean winced, the sound of high-pitched laughter following. They both turned to see a few boys in the street, all in tattered clothes with their arms full of vegetables. One laughed, throwing a potato that Jean barely dodged. "Hey! Quit that, you brat!"

The boy laughed, the dirt on his face hiding most of his freckles. He tossed a potato in his hand and caught it. "Come make me horse face!" He threw another, Jean dodging again. Eren burst into laughter. "They—they called you horse face!"

 _"_ _Shut up Jaeger!"_

Eren kept laughing until another kid hit him in the face with a tomato. He nearly fell over from the impact, the red liquid dripping down his face. He grabbed the remains, tossing them to the ground. _"Okay! That's it! Get back here you brats!"_

 _"_ _Eren don't!"_ Jean pleaded—but he was too late as Eren started chasing after the kids, the kids laughing and taunting him as he followed. Jean charged after him, trying to drag him back into the shop. "Eren their just ki—ow!" Another potato hit him, and this time in the abdomen, the kids all shouting, _"Horse face! Horse face!"_

A sea of vegetables pelted them, both of them blocking the impacts with their clenched fists. Jean snarled, _"Okay! You kids better start running!"_

The freckled kid leader stuck out his tongue, then he and his comrades broke into a run of laughter as Jean and Eren bolted after them. Armin was filling a basket with vegetables when he heard Eren scream, _"I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"_

Armin whipped around, his eyes widening at the sight of Jean and Eren running after some street kids—they bolted past a wagon, out of his sight, the yells already faded and gone. A woman snorted at the merchant. "Good riddance. I was afraid those kids would start throwing food at _me!"_ She purchased her food and left in a huff.

Armin rolled his eyes. "So much for sticking together…" He dropped one final loaf into his basket and went to the merchant at the desk. He was older, with a white beard. The old man whistled, "Looks like a lot of food for someone your size."

"It's not just for me." Armin handed him payment, and the man took it eagerly, smirking, "Not jus you, huh? Are you talking about those friends of yours? The ones that went after those kids?"

Armin sighed, picking up his basket of groceries off the counter. "I'd rather not claim then, but yes…we were supposed to all stay in one place."

The man nodded. "That's what most people have been doin' ever since those thugs been actin' up. Even that women that was here had somebody waitin' for her. You can wait here until those friends of yours come back, if you want. I wouldn't mind the company."

"Thanks…but I should really go find them." Armin shrugged, "Who knows what kind of trouble they could get into."

The man chuckled, a slight cough following. "I could see them getting into trouble—those boys they were chasing all have older brothers—big ones. But really kid, you shouldn't be wandering around by yourself. I could come with ya if ya want."

"Um…" Armin raised an eyebrow. "No thanks. Really, it's fine. Besides, you've got your shop."

The old man nodded. "That I do—but alright. I get it. I get it. Nobody wants help from the sketchy old man. You're cautious; I'll give you that. But I really am harmless. I even have a trick leg—you could easily trip me if you needed to."

Armin smiled lightly, "Thanks for the confirmation, but I really would rather go by myeslef."

The old man sighed, "If you really insist on it, I guess I can't stop you. I really would hate something to happen to you—you seem like a bright kid. But if I really can't stop you from wandering around on your own, have at it."

"Thank you—and I do appreciate the offer."

"Yeah, yeah." The old man chuckled, "Just go find those friends of yours before those brothers do. Say, before you go, would you mind if I asked what your name was?"

"My name?" Armin bit his lip to think, then responded. "Armin."

The old man pointed at himself proudly. "I'm Daniel." He held out his hand. "People call me old man Dan for short."

Armin smirked, shaking his hand. "I'll just go with Daniel if that's okay."

"Perfectly fine with that."

 _"_ _Arlert?"_ A familiar voice joined them, Armin surprised to see it was Commander Erwin, a few MPs following behind. Commander Erwin spoke again, "Arlert, what are you doing?"

Dan perked up. "Arlert? Is that your last name?"

"Uh—yes…"

"I know that name…from somewhere…"

"Arlert," Commander Erwin approached them. "What are you doing in her eby yourself? I thought we informed all of you to stay in groups."

"I was getting food with Jean and Eren…"

"And _where_ are they?"

Dan answered for him. "Those two goofs? They ran off after some food throwing brats. Dunno where they'd be now."

Commander Erwin sighed irritably. "I'm sure wherever they are, they'll find trouble—but they're together?"

Armin nodded.

"Then we don't need to be too concerned. They can handle themselves—when they're not fighting that is. Anyway Arlert, I guess I'm walking back with you." He turned towards the MPs, "I'll need a few minutes."

"I'll walk him back if you like." One of the MPs offered. He was tall, and dark skinned; he seemed to be in his twenties.

Erwin thought about it, "Are you sure about that Williams?"

Williams nodded. "You're the one that has to be at the meeting. I'm just one of the escorts—I wouldn't mind."

"Would you be okay with that, Arlert?" The Commander asked.

"Huh? Oh. Whatever works for you, sir. I'll even go by myself if you—"

"No." Commander Erwin interrupted. "Williams will go with you. When you see Corporal Levi, tell him we're right on schedule."

"I will, sir."

Commander Erwin left with the other MPs, and Armin waved goodbye to Dan, who waved back with a grin. "Good luck on finding those friends, lad."

Williams approached. "Okay, kid, which way?"

"We're not too far from the place, but I'd like to try to find Jean and Eren…"

Williams looked to be in thought, and then shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do. Sure, we can go find them if that's where you want to go. Which way did they run off to?"

Armin pointed down the path. "Down there. They were chasing some kids."

Williams nodded. "Okay well, we've been here a few days in advance, and I think I've got a shortcut in mind if you're interested."

"Shortcut?" Armin raised an eyebrow. "It may be safer just to go down this way."

"True." Williams sighed, "But with all the wagons and the people it may take longer to find them."

Armin glanced at the morning crowd, and bit his lip. "I think we should just go down the path…"

Williams kept on, "If we zip through those alleyways we may find them on the other side. We saw some street kids down there on our second night here. That may be where your friends ended up—or will end up."

"Well I mean…I _guess_ we can try it but…"

"Alright!" Williams grinned; "Follow me." He sped off past a crowd of people, into an alley. Armin followed reluctantly as the MP bolted down a darker path. "Uh—where are we even going?!"

"This way!"

Armin sighed.

 _Great he got the crazy Mp._

Armin followed, Williams exiting the alleyway to reveal another street, but less furnished and populated as the last. Armin heard some kids laughing, then Eren's voice. He couldn't make out what he was saying, but it was certainly Eren's.

Williams grinned smugly. "See? I told you. Nothing to worry abo—" There was a pained grunt from Williams, Armin whipping around to see a knife in his spine as Williams collapsed onto the ground. Armin dropped the groceries he had in his arms.

 _"_ _Shit! Are you okay?!"_ Armin knelt down, shaking Williams's arm. "Hey! Hey!"

He heard a quiet moan, which showed he was alive, but if Armin didn't get somebody the man would be dead. He was about to stand when he heard the click of a gun, then a voice, _"Don't get up."_

Armin felt his heart racing as a man appeared from within the alley, his face covered by a black scarf—everything he wore was black. The man kicked Williams's side almost roughly, but this time a groan didn't come. The man huffed, "It looks like he's dead…Damn it."

Armin felt his stomach twist.

 _Dead?_

Armin yelped when someone grabbed him from behind, a gun pressing against the back of his head. Another man's voice, a younger man, hissed, _"If he's dead we'll just have to take this one."_

The first man snorted, "You can't be serious, Davis. That one? He doesn't look like much."

"What else are we supposed to do, Jake?" The man gripping him spoke. "We have to bring _somebody._ And besides," He snickered, _"This ones kind of cute…"_

Armin felt a pinch in his side, and squirmed, _"L—let go…"_

"Oh he talks too!" Davis sneered, the barrel of his gun pressing harder against Armin's head. He could even feel the man's breath on his neck as he spoke, "But I wouldn't talk too loudly if I were you kid…" His hand then gripped Armin's throat. "Unless, you want your head blowing up."

Armin grabbed Davis's arm in an attempt to pry free, but he heard the man's finger on the trigger, and stopped. _"Good boy…"_ Davis chuckled.

The man named Jake kicked Williams a second time. "He's certainly dead—you messed up, Davis."

"Tch. It's not my fault he moved. I was aiming for his shoulder."

Jake snorted. "I'm sure you were. But you're right about one thing. We can't go empty handed."

Davis smirked, "So we can take him, huh?"

Armin's eyes widened.

 _Crap. They were going to take him?_

Armin heard the kids again, this time Jean's voice echoing faintly through the streets. They were close—but not close enough to help him. Armin knew he should have cried out—but there wasn't a way of doing so without being blown to bits.

The gun was no longer pressed against him—there was a blow to his head—and darkness consumed him.

 _(But not for long)_

After what only seemed to be moments Armin felt himself waking, his head throbbing intensely. Even his vision was blurred. He tried to move, his wrists bound tightly. There was a slight jolt—they must have been in a wagon.

 _Damn it._

Everything was fuzzy, but it wasn't difficult to remember what was happening. He was being abducted, but was it by the people they were looking for?

There was another jolt and he let out a muffled wince—he was gagged as well. He heard a chuckle, and his vision cleared up to reveal a younger man, his eyes two different colors, and his hair buzzed. "Well, well…looks like somebody's waking up."

Armin recognized the voice—it was that man from earlier.

Davis.

Armin squirmed, Davis rising to speak through the wagon's curtain. "Hey, he's awake. Do you want me to do the thing?"

"I don't know…" He heard Jake gruff. "That was specifically made for that other man we were _supposed_ to get. There's no telling how it will effect him."

Davis shrugged, "Well, let's find out. I'm doing it. After all, the boss never knew who are target was, right?"

"You know, that's so crazy, it just might work."

Davis laughed proudly, "I know right? He'll never know!"

Armin rolled his eyes.

 _Henchmen._

They were creepy, but they sounded like idiots.

Davis dragged over a suitcase, plopping down to kneel next to Armin. "Well kid, it's your lucky day—it's time for some medicine." He pulled a needle out of his case, smirking, "Now where do I want to stick it? Oh I know!" He grabbed Armin's arm. "How about on your pretty neck?"

Armin felt a panic rise in him, his yelp muffled. He tried to squirm out of Davis's grasp. The man yanked him close, the needle stinging as it went into his neck.

A sudden wave of dizziness came to him, and he saw panic in Davis's eyes. "Hey Jake, is he supposed to pass out?!"

He heard a gruff, "No, it's not supposed to do anything until the games. Why? _Why? Is he blacking out?!"_

"He's about to but…" His eyes widened further. "Jake!" Davis panicked, "He's disappearing! _Crap, he's disappearing!"_

Then the blackness returned.


	4. Chapter 4

Levi groaned as Hanji bolted into another shop. "Levi, look at all these guns!" She reached for one, Levi grabbing her sleeve and dragging her back into the streets. "Stop touching everything! We're at the black markets and if you break something they'll break _you."_

Hanji snorted, "Black market, huh? Then why is it so open to the public?"

"This whole street is dedicated to it. Now shut up and look for suspicious characters."

Hanji chuckled, "You mean everyone?"

"Tch. I guess suspicious characters include you, you freak. What I mean is, look for someone that looks like a kidnapper—or something like that. If you see someone with murderous intent in their eyes, go after them."

Hanji laughed nervously, "Wouldn't that be you?"

"If I hear one more wisecrack about—"

"Hey!" Hanji squealed, "Isn't that blood in a jar over there?! How much do they sell it for?! Is it human or titan?!"

"Hanji, focus!" Levi snarled.

"Sorry, sorry. I got distracted. This place is a gold mine—although, it smells like a dead Titan…which is glorious."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Tch. This place is more like a death wish if you keep touching every—"

 _"_ _I'll kill all of you!"_ A yell interrupted.

Levi sighed in annoyance. "Was that Jaeger?"

Hanji shrugged, "It could be anyone."

Another yell echoed from the streets, _"Eren you're going to get us killed!"_

"That was Kirschstein." Levi grunted. "I guess we'd better go check on them."

"You go on ahead." Hanji rubbed her hands together. "I want to go check out that jar of blood."

"Oh no you don't, you loon." Levi snorted. "You're coming with me. You'll get into trouble if I leave you alone."

"Don't be a butt, Levi."

"Tch. I'm the ultimate butt. Now come on." He dragged her away from the blood-colored jar, and headed for the other side of the street. "Let's slap around some cadets."

He dragged Hanji down the street, his eyes widening to see Eren and Jean flying into a wall, a group of grown men storming towards them, children laughing from behind."

Levi let out an inhuman groan, "Oh great—just great. They were picking on little kids with mammoth-sized older brothers. How are these brats still alive?"

"Are you going to help them?"

A man swung at Jean, Eren managing to shove him out of the way before the man could strike him in the face. Levi shrugged, "I could always not help, but I guess if I don't those brats will die. Erwin would probably kill me for that, right?"

Hanji smirked, "I don't know. You could always tell him they killed each other."

"If they die I'll use that."

Another one of the men lunged; Jean and Eren luckily made another narrow escape. Levi sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'm going in. Don't touch any merchandise while I'm gone. I can only save so many idiots."

Hanji watched impatiently as Levi jumped into the fight, storming into the alley the thugs had chased Jean and Eren into. She gazed longingly at the market, but restrained herself. She could always buy the jar without Levi noticing, but he'd kill her.

 _Yep._

 _He'd kill her._

Before long, Erena nd Jean bolted towards her, crying in unison, "Hanji!"

"Hey guys!" Hanji grinned. "How's shorty doing?"

"That—that guy called Levi small…" Jean panted, "And—and now the thug is on the ground. The other guys are fighting him in the alley now."

Hanji sighed, "Idiots. They're probably bleeding then. It's a shame they're in an alley. I would have loved to watch him slap around some—oh hey, he's back."

Levi emerged alley, bloodstains on his shirt and hands. "They'll be fine."

"But uh—well…" Eren pointed at the bloodstains.

"Tch. Everyone walks around with blood on them down here. _Now you two—_ why were you picking on their brothers or kids or whatever?"

Eren looked at the ground. "They started throwing food at us so we went after them."

"Tch. Typical of you two to start a— _wait._ Wasn't Arlert with you?"

Jean's eyes widened, "Crap. We must have left him…at the shop…alone…"

Levi narrowed his eyes. "You two just left him there by himself? You left him alone to—to chase after street brats?"

Eren cringed at the glare. "I guess we did. Man, he's probably really mad…"

 _"_ _Or dead."_ Levi snapped, "But hey, you nearly beat up some kids, so I hope you two idiots are happy with yourselves— _after I told all of you not to wander off, or leave each other alone."_

Hanji cleared her throat, "Uh—if he's by himself now, shouldn't we go find him?"

"Yeah." Levi snorted, "Unless Jaeger and Kirschstein want to go find some more kids to torment?"

 _"_ _Those kids were the ones that started it."_ Eren challenged.

Levi gripped his collar, murderous intent set within his eyes. "Do you really want to argue with me, Jaeger? _Now?_ After I just beat up some men and could kill you down here with no one giving half a damn?"

Eren gave a nervous chuckle, "N—No, Corporal, not at all. No arguments here."

Levi released him with a "Tch," then stormed into the streets.

Hanji gave a low whistle. "He's going to have you two cleaning things for months. Anyway, let's go! Maybe we'll see more jars of blood." She hummed a happy tune as she followed after Levi, Eren and Jean trailing behind in a guilty silence.

"This is the shop you all went to, right?" Levi asked.

"Yeah," Jean nodded. "An old man runs it. This is where we ran into the kids."

Levi entered the shop, a scowl spread across his face. He saw an old man at the checkout counter, and headed in that direction. "You. You run this shop, right?"

The old man smirked, "Somebody's in a bad mood. If you were cheerier, you might have been taller."

"Why you—"

Levi took a breath, and then continued with a less irritated tone, "My name is Levi and I'm looking for somebody we lost. Can you help us?"

The old man smirked "The name's Old Man Dan. How can I help you?"

Levi pointed at Eren and Jean. "Do you recognize these two?"

Dan gazed at them, then frowned, "Yup. I remember them. They're the ones that ran off after them kids."

"They had a friend with them," Levi continued. "He was blonde."

"Yeah, I saw your blonde friend," Old Man Dan grinned, "His name was Armin, right?"

"Yeah." Levi nodded. "Did he talk to you?"

"A bit." Dan smiled, "He was good company. But I guess those two hot shots didn't think so?" He cast them a disapproving glare, and their faces paled.

Levi went on, "Do you have any idea where he went after talking to you?"

"Hmm…" Dan rubbed his beard. "I think the guy he walked off with was kind of dark-colored…he uh—he had a horse type thing on his jacket."

"The Military Police?" Jean inquired, "But—why would Armin be with them?"

Hanji snapped her fingers. "Maybe he ran into Erwin! My guess is that Erwin didn't want him to head back by himself, so he gave him an escort."

"That's exactly right, little lady." Dan grinned.

"Okay, okay. That's fine." Levi exhaled, "Thank you for your time, Dan."

"My pleasure. But uh—can I ask you a real quick question, Mister Levi?"

"What? Oh. Since you helped us, sure."

Dan spoke in almost a whisper, "That kid reminds me of a friend that used to come down here…does he have like a relative or something? One that comes down here every once in awhile?"

 _Armin's Grandfather?_

Levi shrugged, "I don't know…"

"Arlert."

 _"_ _What?"_

"It was Arlert." Dan nodded at the recognition. "That's what his name was. He'd probably be that kid's Grandfather, right?"

 _Damn it._

"Yes." He heard Eren's voice say. "Yeah, Armin had a Grandfather, but he's dead now. What about him?"

 _"_ _Jaeger…"_ Levi snarled.

"Nothing much." Dan chuckled, "You don't need to be suspicious. He was just a friend I used to drink with. A pal. That's all. It's a shame he's dead now though. The world could really use more people like that. You kids be on your merry way and tell that friend of yours that Old Man Dan says hello. Also tell him that he's lucky to have such good company." He gave a wink at Hanji, and she shuddered.

Levi thanked Dan for the help, and they all eagerly left the shop, Hanji's face pale. "Did that old man just wink at me? You all saw that right?"

"He may just have bad taste." Levi mocked.

"You're just jealous." Hanji snorted.

"Yes." Levi huffed, "I'm jealous. I will lay awake at night and wonder why old men don't find me attractive. In fact, I'll go in there right now and ask him how I can find some old men. Is this what you want me to tell you, shitty glasses? Is that what you're looking for?"

Hanji snapped her fingers. "Erwin's old! Ask him!"

 _"_ _I wasn't being serious."_

"Hey." Jean interrupted, "Do we go back to the house or check out the streets?"

"I don't know." Levi frowned. "If Hanji's guess is correct, then he should be back at our place with Springer and Blouse but…"

"But what?" Eren asked.

"I don't know. I have this feeling…"

Hanji looked at Levi with concern. "A feeling? What kind of feeling?"

"That something bad happened."

Eren paled, "Don't even make me think about that. Even if something could be wrong, where would we look?"

"Ask around." Levi suggested. "Ask somebody if they've seen something odd."

"Hanji's doing that now." Jean said.

Levi spun around to see Hanji talking with some people, and she shuffled back towards them a minute or two later. "I have good news and bad news."

"Oh great." Levi huffed. "Go on. Tell us."

"A soldier was killed."

 _"_ _Oh shit."_ Jean whispered.

"But…" Hanji went on. "The good news is that Armin isn't dead. The one they found dead was from the Military Police. It was apparently less than an hour ago."

"B—but Armin was with a Military Police guy!" Eren cried.

"That's the bad news." Hanji sighed, "I'm pretty sure the guy they found dead was the one Armin was with."

"So where's Arlert supposed to be?" Levi glared. _"In the damn air?"_

 _"_ _Levi!"_ Hanji snapped, _"Nobody found him. There is no trace of him! There was just that dead Military Police man, some blood, and some rumors."_

Eren had his fists clenched, "What kind of rumors?"

Hanji was silent.

 _"_ _What kind of rumors?"_ Eren repeated.

Hanji looked at all of them, and then let out a depressed sigh. "The Military Police officer they found has supposedly been seen drinking at some of the bars since he's been here. One woman I talked to had heard about it from another woman, but two men were following him. Then earlier on, he was seen jumping head first into an alley with a blonde kid."

 _"_ _Hanji…"_ Levi started, "You had better not be telling me what I think you're telling me."

Hanji's arms were shaking, "I wish I could tell you all I think everything is fine, but in all honesty, I think there's been a misunderstanding. _I think_ that _Military Police Officer was a target of the kidnappers, and there's a possibility they took Armin by mistake."_

"By mistake?!" Jean yelled, _"How does one even do that?!"_

"It happens all the time." Levi grunted, "The criminals most likely accidently killed their target, then took Armin as a replacement. It's pretty idiotic, and terrible, but it happens."

Eren was clenching his fists so tight that Hanji had to grab his hands and stop him. "Eren, if you accidently hurt yourself like that then—"

"Yeah I know." He tore away from her. "I'll go Titan and crush us all."

"Let's try to stay calm." Levi breathed, "We have an idea of what happened, and can act accordingly. First things first we need to get back to our humble abode and talk to Erwin. I'm sure he's at least heard about that Officer's death by now and is on his way back—or may even be back."

"Yes." Hanji agreed. "We need to tell Erwin so we can come up with a plan." She eyed Jean and Eren. "You two will be the ones to tell him. After all, you're the ones that left Armin alone."

They both cringed, but nodded.

"Now that that's settled," Levi huffed, "Let's get back to Springer and Blouse before there are anymore casualties."

"But—what about Mikasa and Reiner?" Jean asked. "Do you think they're okay?"

Eren's eyes widened, _"Crap. I forgot about them."_

"I'm sure they're fine." Hanji quickly spoke. "After all, both of them can handle themselves, and I doubt _they_ were stupid enough to get separated."

"Just because they can handle themselves doesn't mean trouble won't find them. Hanji, you go back with those two while I go find Mikasa and Braun."

Hanji looked surprise. "Really? You're going to interrupt their searching?"

"One of our cadets has possibly been kidnapped. I'd like us all to get back and figure out what to do as soon as possible. I'm not going to risk any more of them going missing."

Hanji smiled, "Alright. Sounds like a plan. Good luck."

"You too, shitty glasses." Levi smirked, heading off in the opposite direction.

Eren crossed his arms. "Connie and Sasha should be okay, too, right?"

"I should think so." Hanji responded. "After all, from what we assume, the criminals targeted a Military Police Officer. I doubt they've taken full of notice of us—but even so, like Levi said, now we can take necessary precautions— _even though we already had precautions."_

Eren swallowed at her glare, and she waved for them to follow her. "Come on, kids, let's go see if Erwin is back yet."

Hanji tottered off into the streets, Jean and Eren following behind solemnly.

"I hope he's okay, wherever he is." Jean sighed, "We really let him down."

"This is my fault." Eren snapped. "I'm the one that ran after the kids first, right? I'm the one that probably started our arguments in the first place. Jean, Mikasa is going to kill me. How will I tell her?"

Jean shrugged, a look of concern spread across his face. "I don't know. I guess when you tell everyone else. Don't forget it's my fault too. We'll have to cross that bridge in just a few minutes, but we deserve any beating she can dish out."

"True enough. We deserve more than a beating from Mikasa…"

Jean nudged him. "Try not to be too worried. Armin's smart. He'll be fine until we can get to him."

Eren smiled lightly, "Thanks, Jean."

"Well, listen to you two getting along." Hanji smirked, "Becoming friends, are we?"

They both gave her a glare, but didn't say anything the rest of the way. All they could do now was hope that everything would be okay.


End file.
